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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · spring · bear · pound · wave · fine · foot · bore

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — a practice
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. spring — the season
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. spring — of water
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. drill — army training
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pound — a weight

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com